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Try a DIY Quickfire Challenge at Home With Top Chefs' Exact Winning Recipes

February 10, 2019, 9:11 AM ET

Try a DIY Quickfire Challenge at Home With Top Chefs' Exact Winning Recipes

Bravo's Top Chef contenders soared to victory with these scrumptious dishes.

By
The Feast Staff

You've always suspected you're a home cook with the skills to rise to the top if you ever made it on Bravo's Top Chef— and now it's time to put that healthy confidence to the test.

This season on Top Chef, cheftestants have scooped up top honors at Quickfire Challenges with diverse recipes from filet mignon with cajun corn and roasted pepper purée; to poached Bay scallops; to Kentucky fried breakfast brown. Now you can make like the top dogs at home — because we're bringing you the exact recipes they made when they brought the heat for the televised challenges.

So you're hereby challenged to see what you can do with these in your own kitchen! The winner receives... an extremely delicious meal in the comfort of their own home — plus some pretty serious bragging rights around the house!

Filet Mignon With Cajun Corn and Roasted Pepper Purée

For the filet mignon

2 8-oz. portions of beef tenderloin

Salt

Pepper

2 tbsp grapeseed oil

1 tbs butter

For the Cajun corn

2 ears corn, cut off the cob

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

Juice of one lime

For the roasted pepper puree

2 canned roasted peppers

1/4 of a red onion, small, diced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Balsamic vinegar

Sugar

To plate

1/2 bulb fennel, shaved thinly

4 leaves basil, torn

1 jalapeno, sliced thinly

Lime juice

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

For the filet: Season beef on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan with grapeseed oil over high heat until hot. Add beef and sear until deep caramelized brown. Flip over and sear on second side. Turn off the heat, add butter and thyme and baste until the tenderloin reaches medium rare. Remove from heat and let rest.

For the Cajun corn: Heat large sauté pan with grapeseed oil over high heat until very hot. Add corn and let caramelize. Be careful — it will pop out of the pan. Toss corn once, then add Cajun seasoning and let cook another one minute. Remove pan from heat and deglaze with lime juice. Place peppers, red onion, tomato paste and chicken stock to a small sauté pan. Cook over medium heat to gently reduce stock and cook onion, stirring occasionally. When mixture is completely reduced, move to the blender and blend until smooth. Stream in extra virgin olive oil with blender running, then season with salt, sugar, and balsamic vinegar.

To plate: Toss all salad ingredients together and season with lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.

Kentucky Fried Breakfast Brown

For the dredge

2 cups flour

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tbsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp mustard powder

2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp salt

For the mornay

4 cups milk

1/4 cup flour

4 oz butter

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 onion

1/2 cup smoked Gouda

1 tsp salt

For the bacon sauce

8 strips bacon, diced

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp butter

1 shallot, minced

Other

1 quart buttermilk

24 oz turkey breast

Minced chive

4 eggs

Texas toast

Combine all ingredients for dredge. Rough chop onion and lightly sauté in butter, add flour to make roux. Add milk and bring to simmer, strain out onion then add syrup, cheese, and salt Cook chopped bacon until brown, than drain of 75 percent of the rendered fat. Add shallot vinegar and brown sugar, reduce to glaze. Pound turkey with meat mallet; then dredge in seasoned flour, then buttermilk, then flour again and fry at 350 until internal temp of 160. Toast or grill bread. Cook egg sunny side up. Place fried turkey on grilled toast and cover with mornay place egg on top drizzle with bacon sauce and garnish with chive.

Poached Bay Scallops, Gold Caponata, and Mint

1/2 lb bay scallops

1 ear of corn

1 Japanese eggplant

2 cloves garlic

1 cup sun gold tomatoes

1 yellow squash

1 yellow pepper

1 yellow onion

1 tbsp diced preserved lemon

1 tsp lemon zest

2 tbsp butter

1 bottle white ver jus

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

1/4 cup white soy

1/4 cup mirin

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp anchovy paste

2 tbsp chopped mint leaves

Poaching liquid: Bring one quart of water to a boil add soy, mirin, lemon juice, and veg bouillon and whisk until dissolved.

Caponata: Dice onion, squash, yellow peppers, and only the white of the eggplant. Sauté garlic until brown and toss in onions and anchovy. Cook until onions are translucent then smash tomatoes into onions and cook till almost dry. Add peppers, squash, corn, and eggplant deglaze with 1 cup ver jus and 1/2 cup poaching liquid. Cook mixture till almost dry add lemon zest, preserved lemon, and slowly mix in butter until thick and creamy. At the last second, fold in scallops just to warm them and chopped mint.

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